You Don’t Own Me – Body Rights, Morality and Orphan Black

Orphan Black – Tatiana Maslany

I’m a fan of fiction, not just a writer thereof. When reality creeps into it, the results can amplify the fiction to unbelievable heights. In television writing, that is never as evident as it is in the series Orphan Black.

In the television series, Orphan Black, a girl by the name of Sarah Manning discovers some shocking secrets about herself and those close to her. Sarah, a grifter and thief, finds herself on a train platform when she notices another girl a short distance away, crying. The girl puts her purse down on the ground, then takes off her shoes, turns to Sarah and, lo and behold, she is Sarah’s exact twin. Then she steps in front of a train and kills herself.

Over the course of the first season, Sarah learns that she is one of several clones, the result of a decades-old experiment. The second clone she encounters mentions another before being shot and killed right in front of Sarah. Two down in the span of the first two episodes. Needless to say, Sarah quickly realizes she is so very far from safe.

The most dramatic discovery, I thought, was the fact that the clones’ DNA had been encoded, noting that they were patented and owned by the company that created them. Huh? They were not their own people.

They were property.

This brings up a humongous number of questions surrounding morality, humanity, and science.

Not surprisingly, the clones are all women (even one transgendered woman). All over the news, the world, today, women are in a battle over their own bodies. The rape culture is front and center in various discussions and events (look at the stolen girls of Nigeria and the horrendous lack of action against Boko Haram by the country’s leader (the poorly named) Goodluck Jonathan).

I’ve unfortunately known girls who have been raped. The internal devastation is miles and away far worse than any physical abuse occurring during the act.  It is an act of violence, of dominance and perpetrated by broken individuals who have no place in our society, let alone on the planet. Fuck it. That’s the way I see it.

In watching the Orphan Black series, I find myself getting absolutely furious by the way the clones are treated: as objects, as property. Never as individual human beings with lives and souls. It pisses me off to no end. I look forward to the day that those who are on the providing end of that discrimination and abuse meet their own Karmic ends. I wish and hope for it, even.

The discussion/argument over our rights as humans to “own” our own bodies is one that is not new to the world. It may never be settled completely. Some new twist in science and/or evolution may set forth a new, more heated debate. Who knows? What I do know, what I believe wholeheartedly, is that I am my own person. Anyone tries to claim my body, to take from me that which is mine, is in for a rude and harsh awakening.

When I see one of the clones (as portrayed in stellar fashion by the incredible Tatiana Maslany!) take up arms and defend themselves against their oppressors and those who would betray them to said oppressors, I seriously want to stand up and cheer.

I consider myself a man of solid morality. If my morality is different from yours, then so be it. I understand what is good, what is evil. I have more than enough experience to know if a person is beyond redemption. I understand that sometimes the harshest action is rarely enough to quell the evil—the darkness—that lurks in the hearts of humankind.

I also understand the inherent goodness in people, that indefinable sense that leads them to want to rehab the “bad” people who do bad things for various reasons.  And, indeed, some of them do bad things for the best of reasons. But, therein lies the question of morality versus survival.

When one is faced with a rapist, for example, who has taken the necessary steps to get to the point of forcing his dominance over another human being, is there any possibility of redemption for that man? I fall on the side of pessimism. Just like an abuser of any nature—even an adulterer—if they’ve done it once, they will do it again. Period.

My experiences prove me out. History and societal records prove me out.

Am I evil for my perspectives, my leanings in these matters? Sometimes I admit that I do wonder. I become lost in thought for hours, trying to determine on which side of the line I stand.

I do know that I am my own person. My body is mine. My Wife’s is hers.

And, if anyone tries to take that from us, I will do whatever it takes to ensure that it does not happen. Ever. Again.

I am curious. What’s your stance? What’s your position? Am I standing in the Dark? The Light? Or, do I reside in the Shadows where so many decisions can go either way?